Thailand seeks to increase quota of cross-border vehicles with Cambodia

BANGKOK, May 21 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Transport, plans to seek an increase in quota of the number of buses and trucks running between Thailand and Cambodia, from 40 to 500, to serve growing regional economies, as member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will integrate into a single market in the form of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of this year. Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, who is also Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESD), told journalists on Thursday that the Thai side will submit the proposed plan before the upcoming bilateral meeting of Thai and Cambodian authorities. Arkhom revealed that the upcoming meeting will discuss details on driving licences, vehicular documents and the number of cross-border cargo trucks, with both countries hope to seal a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to govern their cross-border transport. According to the Thai deputy transport minister, a transnational transport framework of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has greatly limited the number of buses and cargo trucks travelling in the subregion and the Thai-Cambodian MOU would reduce the limit. Under the draft MOU, the deputy transport minister noted, Thailand proposes six more border crossings for the transport, including the Chong Sa-ngam crossing in Si Sa Ket Province and the Chong Jom crossing in Surin, both in the Thai Northeast. (TNA)